House to vote on Sandy aid in two weeks - The story behind the transit tax benefits - Mica given Oversight subcommittee - 113th Congress kicks off - Mississippi River update

SANDY AID WAITS FOR HOUSE: After refusing to take it up in the final day of the 112th Congress, House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor said yesterday that passing a Hurricane Sandy relief bill will be the “first priority” of the new Congress, which begins today. That statement followed an entire day of searing statements and TV hits by New York and New Jersey lawmakers, from Michael Grimm of Staten Island ( http://politi.co/TIdMnn) to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ( http://politi.co/Wf0RYe) to Pete King of Long Island ( http://politi.co/Wf0Of5). The chamber has queued up a Friday vote on about $9 billion in flood insurance money but a vote on “the remaining supplemental request for the victims of Hurricane Sandy” (which would include the bulk of the transport money) has to wait until Jan. 15, the first full legislative day of the 113th, the two leaders said in a joint statement. A trio of transporters team up for the Pro story: http://politico.pro/UdNkFS

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Transpo break-down: Despite all the momentum for quick action on the Sandy supplemental, there’s still some major funding differences between the two chambers. An alternative House version from New Jersey Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen would bring the measure much closer to the Senate’s $60 billion package, but the line-by-line isn’t identical. The House version, which originally would have gotten a vote in the form of an amendment to a smaller $27 billion package, includes over $2 billion for roads and bridges — more than twice the $921 million in the Senate bill. The Frelinghuysen version even boosts transit spending to $10.9 billion, slightly above the Senate’s proposal. But Amtrak, long a whipping boy for congressional Republicans, wouldn’t have fared quite as well, netting $86 million for capital expenses and $32 million for operations — still less than a third of the Senate bill’s $332 million.

TRANSIT TAX HOLIDAY: The inclusion of two additional years of tax-free benefits for public transportation costs of up to $240 per month in 2013 and retroactively in 2012 was music to the ears of transit advocates and industry groups who’ve long fought to equalize parking and transit employee benefits. The retroactive component may have limited impact, however, since most commuters have transit funds taken from their regular paychecks rather than claiming tax breaks on an annual basis, as many other deductions are handled. But the equity of $240 per month rather than the expected $125 will go a long way toward assuaging concerns about a lack of congressional focus on buses and trains.

Reactions strong: APTA President Michael Melaniphy found a lot to like, calling the provision “great American policy” and a “free market choice” now that driving is no longer favored over transit, at least for another year. The win is a bit bittersweet given its temporary nature, Amalgamated Transit Union prez Hanley said, especially since Congress chose to make other tax cuts permanent. “We believe that there’s a reason why Congress has ignored transit: because they don't feel enough heat from people that use it.” Side note: Everyone seemed to agree that the support of Chuck Schumer and his No. 3 status in the Senate was key to getting the deal done. Burgess takes it away for Pros: http://politico.pro/VjnUme

Another applauded provision: Melaniphy noted that the alternative fuels provisions in the tax relief bill are also good news for transit. Many bus systems use natural gas and other fuel sources, which should help providers control costs.

THE FIGHT THAT WON’T DIE: Rep. Don Young again submitted an amendment to House rules that would skirt some of the earmark ban that’s been in effect since 2011, but he doesn’t plan to ask for a vote on it today amid the full Republican conference gathering this afternoon. Young’s spox tells us that the Alaskan representative is in ongoing talks with leadership about changing the definition of an earmark — but that redefinition isn’t going down today.

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MICA NABS OVERSIGHT PANEL GAVEL: Outgoing House T&I Chairman John Mica has been named chairman of House Oversight’s Government Operations panel, ending speculation surrounding whether he would secure a subcommittee gavel at T&I — which some in Congress privately said might create some tensions with new Chairman Bill Shuster. Mica has promised to give Shuster plenty of room, but also said he’ll be there to lend an ear should Shuster need his counsel. Oversight also went through some changes, moving from seven subcommittees last year to five in the 113th Congress. The committee’s members are frequent critics of the TSA — and there have been rumblings for months of an investigation into federal spending on California’s high-speed rail program.

ORDERLY TRANSITION: Apparently, there’s a bit more collegiality between incoming T&Ier Rick Nolan and outgoing T&Ier Chip Cravaack than there was between former Chairman Jim Oberstar and Cravaack, who apparently never spoke following Cravaack’s 2010 upset. “He’s been very gracious,” Nolan said of Cravaack, who told MT shortly before his term ended that “it’s about having an easy transition.” He said the two met for 45 minutes before the year ended, and said it’s all about serving “the people of the eighth. And doing that is creating as good a transition as possible.”

AMTRAK’S STRUCTURAL HSR ISSUE: The passenger railroad wants changes to railcar structural safety rules that will let trains travel faster, Amtrak President/CEO Joe Boardman told Bloomberg in an interview. For example, current safety rules force Amtrak to keep a locomotive at the front and rear of each train, slowing them down. New rules “would allow for less use of fuel, quicker acceleration, a different performance profile,” Boardman said. “What we’re really looking for is a performance specification here.” And looking ahead to the new year, Boardman fired a warning shot about GOP calls for more private-sector money: “Until Congress establishes that reliable funding source for rail infrastructure investment, it’s going to be very difficult to take advantage of millions of dollars available from the private sector.” Full story: http://bloom.bg/TwYvHb

MISSISSIPPI RIVER UPDATE: Waterway groups are warning that the Mississippi River traffic may suffer a partial shutdown between Jan. 5 and 15 despite recent efforts by the Army Corps to sustain navigation. The groups continue to plead with the administration to release water from the Missouri River, an action the Army Corps says could have detrimental effects. The Corps and the Coast Guard have indicated they will not close the Mississippi, but the groups worry about stalled towboats and billions in economic losses if the required 9-foot draft falls a foot as expected. “The uncertainty of this deteriorating situation for the nation’s shippers is having as much of an impact as the lack of water itself,” Michael J. Toohey, the Waterway council president & CEO said in a statement.

CLEARING THE AIR: The TSA must see a lot of misinformation out there because Blogger Bob got right down to post-holiday business on Wednesday. First he took to addressing a bunch of thinly sourced (as far as MT can tell) blog posts that say TSA workers are laughing at people’s body images on backscatter machines ( http://1.usa.gov/VuDQ4N). Then Bob took to addressing a rumor that a TSA drone was spotted at an NFL game. “I just wanted to take this quick opportunity to say that TSA does not use drones. I have been accused of ‘droning’ on and on before, but other than that, we’re drone free.” There’s that trademark humor. http://1.usa.gov/VuDQ4N

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT funding runs out in 84 days. Passenger rail policy runs out in 271 days, surface transportation policy in 639 days and FAA policy in 1,001 days. The mid-term elections are in 670 days.

CABOOSE — Pimp my cruiser: A drug dealer’s loss is the Metro Police Department’s gain. The D.C. cop force now uses this fake Excalibur to take officers to schools for chats about how bad drugs are and what can happen (your car can get taken away, for example). Prince of Petworth has the picture of the sweetest-looking cop car MT has ever seen: http://bit.ly/Vw7Tf0

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Authors:

About The Author

John Burgess Everett is a congressional reporter for POLITICO. He previously was a transportation reporter for POLITICO Pro, Web producer, helping run POLITICO’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, and a contributor to the On Media blog.

About The Author

Adam Snider is a transportation reporter for POLITICO Pro and author of Morning Transportation. He has covered transportation since 2007, joining POLITICO in 2011 to launch MT and later found the word “Mica-ism.”

Snider is a fan of all modes of transportation, though nothing beats a good silly walk. In his spare time, he can be found brewing a hoppy beer, rooting for the Nationals, watching a bad 1970s horror movie or exploring the District from his home base in Mount Pleasant.

Adam studied English and communications at Clemson University in South Carolina. His work has been featured by Nieman Journalism Lab and his snark has appeared on MSNBC. He has had several works of fiction published in literary journals and is constantly reminded of his proclamation to a fiction professor many years ago that journalism is for sellouts who abandon their creative dreams.